Marines to Face Murder Charges

After an investigation that's lasted more than a year, criminal charges will be filed today in the alleged Haditha massacre in which 24 civilians in an Iraqi town were killed. (ABC News)

U.S.

Report Says Berger Hid Archive Documents

President Clinton's national security adviser removed classified documents from the National Archives, hid them under a construction trailer and later tried to find the trash collector to retrieve them, the agency's internal watchdog said Wednesday. (AP)

U.S. To Declassify Secrets Aged 25 and Older

It will be a Cinderella moment for the band of researchers who study the hidden history of American government. (Internaional Herald Tribune)

'Devastating' Trial Results for Controversial Artificial Blood Product A controversial drug experiment, involving artificial blood given to accident victims without their consent, resulted in a 40 percent higher death rate than the standard treatment given to a control group. (ABC News)

U.K.

British Soldier 'Gave Army Secrets to Iran' A British soldier has been charged with passing secret information linked to the military campaign in Afghanistan to Iran, The Times has learnt. (London Times)

IRAQ NEWS

Baghdad Suicide Bomber Kills 10

A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people and injured a dozen others outside a police recruitment centre in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. (BBC)

US Army Suicides Double In Iraq

Suicides among American soldiers in Iraq doubled last year over the previous year to return to a level seen in 2003, US army medical experts said on Tuesday. (Reuters)

AFGHANISTAN

Roadside Bombs Kill Seven Afghans

Seven Afghans were killed and several wounded on Thursday in two separate bomb blasts, police said. (Reuters)

NATO Military Leader Says Force in Afghanistan is 2,500 Troops Short

The Marine Corps general who just completed a tour as NATO's supreme commander said that NATO's force in Afghanistan was still 2,500 troops short, but he cited progress in persuading countries that send soldiers to remove restrictions on their combat roles. (International Herald Tribune)

JORDAN

Jordan Sentences Killer of British Tourist to Death

Jordan's State Security court sentenced a Jordanian man of Palestinian origin to death on Thursday for an attack on Western tourists in which he shot dead a British man and wounded five other foreigners. (Reuters)

SOMALIA

Somali Islamists In 'War' Claim

The leader of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls much of southern Somalia, says the country is in a state of war with Ethiopia. (BBC)

2002 BALI BOMBINGS

Cleric Cleared Over Bali Bombings

Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has had his conviction for conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings overturned by the Supreme Court in Jakarta. (BBC)

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan: President's Death Brings Muted World Reaction

The death today of Turkmenistan's president for life, Saparmurat Niyazov, has brought a restrained international reaction. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

FRANCE

French Film Raises Fresh Fears Over Airport Safety

A French television reporter managed to smuggle explosive material and knives onto American and French passenger planes apparently revealing serious flaws in security at French airports. (Reuters)

YASSER ARAFAT'S NOTES

The Secret World of Arafat

Yasser Arafat shared his secrets and thoughts mainly with the small notebooks that he filled and kept in places unknown to members of the Palestinian leadership, even those who were close to the late Palestinian leader. Even after his death, the causes of which are still unknown, nobody dared to open these notebooks, or even open the boxes in which they were kept. There is no indication as to who is in charge of safekeeping them or the nature of the information noted by Arafat. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

ON THE WEB

ABC News Extremist Website Monitoring

This is a daily update of some of what can be found on militant Islamist websites that are often used by al Qaeda and its sympathizers, insurgent groups in Iraq and other groups for propaganda, recruiting and communication purposes. (ABC News)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Al Qaeda: The Implications of al-Zawahiri's New Video

Al Jazeera released a video Dec. 20 of Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader. The timing of the video -- and that it was released by Al Jazeera rather than through the militant group's own media production house -- could indicate that the jihadist network's media production capabilities have been damaged. (Stratfor)

A Military of the Willing Works Best

By Berl Brechner

Should we revive the military draft? There's been a lot of talk about it lately.
Conscription, as a social exercise, might instill discipline and respect while getting people to mix with all types and classes of their fellow Americans and perform a patriotic duty. It might also serve the political goals of some who oppose the Iraq war. (Washington Post)

Libya's Continuing Legal Farce

If Libya really wants to repair its tattered relations with the West, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi will need to intervene to prevent a terrible miscarriage of justice. This week, a Libyan court condemned to death six foreign medical workers on the widely discredited charge that they deliberately infected hundreds of children with the virus that causes AIDS. It was the second time in this case that a Libyan court has made that judgment. (NY Times)

By David Ignatius

Robert Gates, the new secretary of defense, warned this week that an American failure in Iraq would be a "calamity" that would haunt the United States for decades. Unfortunately, he's right. But what is a realistic definition of success? If we "surge" tens of thousands more troops into Iraq and march them up the hill, how will we march them back down? (Daily Star)

Losing the Shock Value

By Mshari Al-Zaydi

The most dangerous thing that could happen in light of the mounting crises in our region is the loss of interest in them. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

U.N. Top Concerns Mideast, Darfur By William M. Reilly Retiring U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is working closely with his successor, former South Korea Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, on keeping him up to date on top priorities, with special focus on the Middle East and Sudan`s beleaguered Darfur region. (United Press International)

Iran President Facing Revival of Students' Ire

As protests broke out last week at a prestigious university here, cutting short a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zamanian could only watch from afar. He was on crutches, having been clubbed by supporters of the president and had his foot run over by a motorcycle during a less publicized student demonstration a few days earlier. (International Herald Tribune)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.